"Ping" on Startup When the Engine's Warm???

[KeithC]

I have an 04 R with 10K miles. Since I bought the bike (with 2K miles), when starting a warm engine, I hear one "ping" (for lack of a better term) when the bike starts. It sounds to me like one of the cyllinders experiences a detonation when starting the engine warm. (It does not do this when starting a cold engine.) After starting, the engine sounds and runs fine. Fuel consumption is a constant 47 mpg. Does anyone experience this same thing/sound? I'm not really worried about it. Just wondering if this is one of those "they all do that" things.

Keith

[timl]

Yes, my '04 R1150R Rockster does this every time when starting a hot engine. One ping or pop. Never happens on cold start. Its been doing that for the 16,000 miles I've had the bike.

[tofuchef]

Hi - my 2004 R1150R frequently does this when hot restarting - can be startling. Never had a problem, though.

[CycleRob]

My 2002 model does this too ONLY on a short turn around hot engine restart. It happens a lot if you are using regular grade gasoline -or- premium fuel with a carboned-up combustion chamber.

It seems to be within the first hot engine crankshaft turn and only one very loud PING just as you hit the starter button. I suspect it's a quirk of the Motronic's ignition system, allowing the first spark to occur immediately, rather than when it should. On a recently run hot engine there can be a combustible fog still in there or it can be the "on starter" fatter injection pulse fueling the big ping. With a cold engine, the combustion chamber only has dead air surrounded by the combustion unfriendly cold surfaces and that random spark does nothing.

.

[maduko]

The original tensioner can make a noise that *might* be described as a ping. I'd call it more of a clack.

I'll stop describing noises now.

I guess mine has never pinged on hot start. Or at least I've never noticed it.

[KeithC]

Thanks for the responses, guys. I was and am pretty sure that it's simply a single-cylinder detonation occasionally on hot restart. I was just wondering if they all do that. Sounds like some/many do. This board's a great resource! Keith